Chuck Mosley RIP

Chuck Mosley RIP

The tragic death of Chuck Mosley has left all Faith No More fans devastated, numb and bereft. Chuck was the voice of Faith No More for most of the 1980s, and in many ways the personification of the the raw, untamed and brash band spirit.

I did not know Chuck. Unlike many fans, I did not get the chance to meet him in person. But I spoke to him by phone and email. And in recent research I got to appreciate profoundly his role in the band’s creation and evolution and early success. I attempted to capture this contribution and legacy and this spirit and essence over many pages and many months. But today, despite darkness and despair, the band, his band, succeeded in capturing that essence in pitch perfect fashion in a few hours, in a few lines:

It’s with a heavy, heavy heart we acknowledge the passing of our friend and bandmate, Chuck Mosley. He was a reckless and caterwauling force of energy who delivered with conviction and helped set us on a track of uniqueness and originality that would not have developed the way it had had he not been a part. How fortunate we are to have been able to perform with him last year in a reunion style when we re-released our very first record. His enthusiasm, his sense of humor, his style and his bravado will be missed by so many. We were a family, an odd and dysfunctional family, and we’ll be forever grateful for the time we shared with Chuck.

Chuck – charismatic, boisterous, quick-witted – was a natural front man. He joined Faith No More in 1983. The band wanted a presence for live shows rather than a voice for recordings. And Chuck delivered: he was part poet, part punk preacher, part precarious performer, all attitude.

His devil-may-care demeanour was a little deceptive. He said of his introduction to Faith No More: ‘I was really nervous. And I remember being in awe of this sound because I hadn’t heard anything like it before. It made me nervous because I didn’t know what to do with it. You know what I mean? That was where the rapping came from.’ That’s the origin of rap-rock. Punk attitude, unfamiliar music, improvisation — allied to having little chance to rehearse with the rest of the band based down the coast in San Francisco — led to chanting and ranting and, eventually, when things calmed down somewhat in the studio, to rapping: ‘I was just like screaming to the beat, like ranting. Not rapping, but ranting.’

Chuck was also an accomplished lyricist, capable of devastating self-awareness and of expressing delicate and personal emotion. And equally adept at penning party anthems and catchy chatter. He hit his lyrical and vocal peak on ‘The Crab Song’, probably the most personal and romantic song in the Faith No More oeuvre. It is the perfect embodiment of how Chuck’s bratty rap could perfectly complement Faith No More’s music. Lyrically, he evokes every emotion in a doomed relationship arc: love, yearning, frustration, anger, hatred, regret. Or, as Chuck has himself said: ‘Getting broken up with, thus turning from a sad little love monkey into a raging psychopathic, blood-lusting, sociopath of a serial killer, inflicting the pain in your heart upon everyone who has the misfortune of crossing your path….theoretically speaking…per se…a real bloodbath…..then turning back into a sad little love chimp oh so regretful of what you’ve done.’

Now I know why everything turns grey, but it’s our own world we paint
And I want the brightest, I want flourescence every day and night

Deepest sympathy to the band and all who were close to Chuck. A special word for his dear friend Douglas Esper, who went beyond the call of duty to ensure that Chuck got the recognition he so richly deserved in recent years.

Heartfelt sympathy to Chuck’s long-term partner Pip Logan, his two daughters, Erica and Sophie, and to his grandson Wolfgang Logan Mosley.

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10 Comments

I read the interview you did on one of the FNM facebook sites…pretty cool, I’m very excited about the book! Can’t wait to pre-order!

Benrun
January 27, 2018 at 3:23 am

YouTube has the Cement videos for Shout and Pile Driver, pretty cool.

admin
December 18, 2017 at 1:31 pm

Test

Benrun
November 24, 2017 at 5:09 am

It’s Thanksgiving here in the USA, so:

Thank you Adrian for this great website and soon to be published “Small Victories”.
Thank you KingCol for giving me someone to talk to on here!
Thank you to Adrian’s family for letting him have this obsession which I know takes time away from other things.
Thank you to Chuck’s family for letting him hit the road the last few years to live his musical life and letting his fans see him again.
Thank you to Doug and his family for be the driving force behind all the output from Chuck this last almost decade (and for loaning out Doug for the road).
Thank you Primitive Race for having the good taste to give you vocalist slot to Chuck…I’m really enjoying the album.
Thank you Matt Wallace for your lifetime’s work with Chuck, FNM, and I particularly love the hell out of those Glorious Din albums.
Thank you Mike Bordin for somehow staying in good enough shape to be able to play those WCAL and IY songs in 2016 like he’s still Animal from The Muppets.
Thank you Roddy for supporting Chuck, for staying healthy, for giving the world a few new operas (hope those of us who are poor or taking care of family and can’t travel get a chance to see/hear them sometime), and for the upcoming Imperial Teen album.
Thank you Jon for those excellent additions on the Rocket Moth songs and for mastering the FNM Chuck years catalog (and especially for nailing that Anne’s Song solo).
Thank you Patton for the creepy as shit 1922 music, teaching me who Connie Converse was, and for perhaps your best lyrics ever on DxCx. Advance thank you for one day in the future learning to love Live Albums and releasing some official live recordings from your many excellent bands.
And Thank you Bill for CAF’s Elipse which is my favorite record of the year, for leading me to so much non-FNM music over the years, and for having more FNM music at least on the brain for the future. And Thank you to Mrs. Gould for making Bill clean out the basement so we have the WCAL re-release still to enjoy! Would you now please make him remaster some of those early live shows for release?!

Peter
November 13, 2017 at 3:51 am

Very sad news. RIP Chuck!
Thanks for the nice write up.

admin
November 12, 2017 at 11:52 pm

Go raibh maith agat

admin
November 12, 2017 at 11:15 pm

Thanks Ben. Wonderful tribute

Benrun
November 12, 2017 at 3:08 pm

Here’s and addition to my previous post: I am beyond shocked and saddened by the death of Chuck Mosley. With all the positive turns recently….a movie, a 2nd band, a solo album, consistent tours, a re-release coming….I was so excited for him and future music. Addiction is a horrible thing, I don’t know what addiction they are referring to, I knew about cigarettes and some alcohol, but this is just terrible. He was one of the kindest, funniest people I’ve ever met. He was certainly in the running for the most interesting person that I’ve ever met. Many people love FNM for various reasons…I became a fan because of all 5 pieces that made up the Introduce Yourself album. 5 guys giving it their all. For me it is still their best album. I’ve been a Chuck fan ever since. Cement isn’t for everyone, but for me they were great. VUA’s lone official album for me is the best work any member of FNM has done outside of the band as a solo artist. And Demo’s 4 Sale is equally good in a different way. Primitive Race’s Soul Pretender is growing on me every day. I love his Indoria songs What I Feel, Ode to the Road, and especially Bella Donna. Hard Drivin’ Rock tune is the best hard rock song I’ve heard in years….I love Sol Invictus, but none of those songs rocked as hard. And Ericalution is just brilliant….too brilliant for most people to get I think. More than anything, I wish Bad Brains would release whatever exists of Chuck fronting them….that would have been great to hear more of. I’m so sorry for his closer friends and family…they have lost a really wonderful person. Thank you to his family for loaning him to us on the road so often, to Doug for being such an advocate and Enabler of the good kind, thanks recently to EMP Label Group for helping Chuck stay in the making and playing music business, and thanks to the other fans who have always looked past the too easy 1-liner criticisms to see the person and the talent that was Chuck Mosley. Through lots of gaps in his musical career, we have helped keep a buzz and interest around hearing Chuck make music again, now we have to help him be remembered as a unique innovator and the nicest guy in the music business.

KingCol
November 11, 2017 at 7:53 pm

I can only assume benrum left the last message on previous thread (name didn’t appear on my device) but it’s really only him and me left checking up regularly for updates…”twas a nice comment anyway…
Alice in chains nutshell lyric sums it up “if I can’t be my own , I’d feel better dead”

Recent Comments

E mayan { Was hoping to see it on Pitchfork's best music books of the year, but nope not there:( } – Dec 18, 4:52 AM

Benrun { Awesome work once again, it was certainly my favorite book of the year. I still haven't posted a review anywhere since I bought from an independent book store...I guess let me know if you would like me to write an Amazon review anyway. Looking forward to the podcast...for someone like me who has never even listened to any podcast that wasn't posted on your website, hopefully you could include some instructions of how to listen! Sorry if this is a stupid request. I hope the band has a future for several reasons, but a big one for me now that... } – Dec 11, 2:34 AM

admin { Thanks Ben. Great comment as always. Interesting on the song snippets. Will try to find out more. } – Dec 12, 8:53 AM

Benrun { Awesome! For the You Fat Bastards discussion: 1. Me and all my friends had never really heard Patton live at that point and all agreed, "He must have had a head cold or something" meaning he seemed extra nasal! 2. How much money, work, etc does it takes to get approval for song snippets like from NKOTB during WCAL? Did it make getting approval for live releases a nightmare for the record company? 3. What about the rumor that the song titles for The Grade and The Cowboy Song got mixed up...seems pretty probable to me. 4. Sorry no real... } – Dec 12, 3:19 AM

Benrun { As far as Chuck being boring on the early FNM, you have to keep in mind the post-punk influence. Bands were making careers in rock with fairly monotonous singers. I don't think he was boring anyway, but compared to Ian Curtis and John Lydon, he was fairly theatrical with his range and choices. Forgot to mention...there are interviews with Patton discussing his dislike for live albums in general, which is why he turned the Mondo Cane live material into studio songs instead of releasing them as is. Patton said that live show are for the people who decided to show... } – Dec 07, 2:27 AM

Benrun { Yes, it's a rare band where the frontman isn't the main draw for most of the fans. Patton elevates all the projects he's involved with. As much as I enjoyed Tetema for the music, Patton puts it over the edge as something I would enjoy coming back to again and again. Same thing with the Moonchild albums, Tomahawk. On Sol Invictus, it stands out on a song like Black Friday which wouldn't be something that would stand out to me, but you add in the over-the-top approach Patton took mixed with the classy background vocals, and then whoever put on... } – Dec 04, 4:44 AM

KingCol { I remember Patton saying that he couldn’t care less about live stuff getting released but that might of being referred to shows getting bootlegged etc .when did he deny any official fnm shows being released? As to the chuck versus mike preference for me (probably due to my age and first noticing the band) it’s with out a doubt Patton . Chuck in my opinion hasn’t much of a voice and is is some ways boring compared to Patton. Patton brought a whole new dimension and brought the band to a new level. Every album they did was different and... } – Dec 01, 7:24 PM

Benrun { Tyrell looks interesting...but I'm a little behind b/c I didn't see "Get Out" yet. Looks like a similar theme. Anyway, FNM for me has always been Bill, Puffy, and Roddy. I get that, but I wonder if Jon has been in on any of these get-togethers yet? He had some ideas he wanted to test out according to an interview back awhile ago, since he didn't get to include any ideas on Sol Invictus. I like his playing and hope that he gets some more work as a guitarist. I saw that Rocket Moth are working on a new album,... } – Nov 30, 3:58 AM

Benrun { This is me grasping at straws, but I notice Patton is growing his hair out long lately. Last time he did that was for the FNM reunion in 2009. In the meantime, new Talking Book, Imperial Teen, and Tomahawk are taking FOREVER. Favorite albums of 2018 are Usssy Voyages and Daughters You Won't Get What You Want. Patton's 1922, CAF's Ellipse, and Belly's Dove close behind. Overall, not a tremendous year for music. I was mostly hoping for Chuck's Mosley's solo release; hopefully it will see the light of day. } – Nov 25, 9:17 PM

Benrun { I liked Primal Scream's "Kowalsi" that was on the Doc Martin's sampler with FNM's song. I was collecting everything FNM at the time and got that, the Primal Scream song was the 2nd best on there. Plus Vanishing Point was one of my dad's favorite movies b/c of the Dodge Challenger in it. Anything else of there's I should check out? } – Nov 18, 9:44 PM

KIngCol { Ah faith no man seen them more as much as “the real thing” (the actual band) I saw a good primal scream documentary on bbc - “the lost tapes” ... very similar thought process music production wise. They brought out a hit crowd pleaser album and their instinct was to follow it up with something totally different.. it wasn’t released unfortunately because record label wanted a similar sounding follow up album . Thank fcuk fnm were not restricted like this or angel dust as a follow up would never have seen the light of day } – Nov 17, 10:06 PM

Benrun { Just curious...what band ever did what FNM did? Took a keyboard player that was by all accounts a personality, not a singer...and everyone in the room new that, certainly the journalists and the singer and band themselves...and tried to make that work? And got signed to record deals TWICE while doing it? I don't mean bands with bad singers...I mean bands with someone who didn't even really want to sing. A guy who also come out dressed as Liberace? It seems you would need to feel like your voice unarguably good to try some of the stuff Chuck did. A... } – Nov 13, 4:15 AM

Benrun { Good interview. I like when the person interviewing actually does some homework! I also always appreciate whenever Adrian informs others that "Introduce Yourself" is in fact (along with AD & KFAD) in the argument for best FNM album! } – Nov 13, 3:58 AM

Robert Young { I was fortunate enough to be at that show it was absolutely fantastic, hilarious, over the top, unbelievable, totally fucking radical a perfect Halloween prank. Probably never see anything as good as that again. The reason nobody was arrested is because they had sacks over their heads they couldn't identify any of them only by their cocks but no faces so they couldn't link to the two that's what happened. } – Oct 28, 1:19 PM

Benrun { Marvin...I took it the same way you did. The band members did get together, but that means, who knows. Even if more FNM music being released is fantasy, it was a positive way to end the book and made me happy. } – Oct 11, 12:07 AM

Marvin { Truly a great book. Bought it two weeks ago from Amazon, read it over the course of last week... For an FNM fan (which you probably are if you read those lines), that a no-brainer, go fort it! I learned a lot reading this book, and more importantly it filled some gaps in my overall knowledge of the band. I knew some things happened, I knew that personnal conflicts occurred, but I had never quite understood all of it. I must give credits to the book: it unveils and explains it all, and everything makes sense. About the last paragraph...... } – Oct 10, 8:34 AM

KingCol { Wow-wee Adrian .... €18 is a very reasonable price . My copy of the book just arrived - the coffee and decadence reference is a wonderful opener . So as the lyric goes “Pat yourself on the back and give yourself a handshake” .. } – Oct 09, 3:45 PM

Bobby B Better { Adrian, Congratulations on the book. I picked up a copy here in the US today...looking forward to reading it! } – Oct 06, 4:04 AM

Benrun { Excellent updates. Roddy Bottum also had a blink and you will miss it cameo as a DJ in the film Ruby Sparks. I nearly shit myself when I saw him for that 1/2 second...I had to go back and make sure. It's an awesome movie too! } – Oct 11, 12:04 AM

E mayan { Thanks Adrian! A fantastic piece of work. Loved it, absolutely fascinating. A band like this really deserve such a bio. Quotes from Patton that aren't just rehashed from earlier articles would've been nice, although can't really be a criticism if he didn't want to be interviewed. Way to not leave out Beavis & Butthead's commentary on "Digging the Grave." So glad Trey Spruance got his say in there, although an explanation about why the end of "The Last to Know" is so lame would've helped:) } – Oct 03, 12:55 AM

Benrun { I will add...2 things that blew my mind as a fan who thought I knew everything...Roddy's connection to Wall Drug (yes I've stopped at that roadside tourist trap wondering what I was doing there), and that Billy is a lefty! I knew Puffy was, but Billy too? Something that may seem insignificant, but maybe that's why that FNM sound is so freaking different...the left handed rhythm section. } – Sep 27, 11:36 AM

Benrun { The book is truly a great read and does the band / subject matter justice. It was probably my favorite part of my trip to New Zealand / Australia. I'm back in the states now and finished the book in just a few days after picking it up. I will write a proper review wherever I can...I bought from a small stand-alone bookshop in Winter Park, FL, USA so not sure if I can post reviews elsewhere. Thank you for all your hard work and time Adrian & family! The part I loved the most...the last paragraph. } – Sep 22, 2:08 AM

Benrun { This is very exciting. I've never heard of a book release being moved up before! I read that it was due to demand, which is awesome. Any chance that it may be available earlier in the states? Probably not...by the way, you list more book sellers above than I think even still exist in America. Can't wait to read it! } – Aug 28, 1:49 AM

Benrun { Congratulations on some great interviews...I really can't wait to get my copy. When you wrote "band news" I got really excited, but it is just band member news. If FNM is done, that is okay...but I hope it means that Billy, Puffy, and Jon will give Castro Sinatra another try. And I'd rather they just get on with it instead of an indefinite waiting game on Patton & Roddy to decide to do FNM again. } – Aug 24, 1:12 AM

Benrun { Glad to see Imperial Teen are in the studio. However, it feels safe to say that Faith No More is likely finished. All the FNM nostalgia on the facebook pages is kind of nauseating. I don't like living in the past. Remember when this happened....that was cool. Remember when that happened...that was cool too. I'm looking forward to the book next month, but I'm looking forward to the insight, not the nostalgia. } – Aug 09, 3:55 AM

Benrun { Midlife Crisis winning the FNM World Cup is very appropriate to me...that is my favorite song ever and the best FNM song. The Real Thing, KFAD being amongst the best fit too. } – Jul 07, 5:28 AM

KingCol { @benrum - Pre-order confirmation ... I'm really looking forward to this book .. iv been listening to a lot of fnm lately - matador has really impressed me , up there as one of their best songs I'd say. Great to see such an impressive song especially after being apart so long , to be honest I wasn't expecting much from the album considering the gap of time apart and their age etc but they showed that they can still work together and release descent new material. } – Jun 20, 9:51 PM

Benrun { I had struck up a friendship with Chuck Mosley who gave me his backstage pass (cause does he really need to wear one to go backstage?). I talked to Jon outside before going back for about 10 minutes...talked about his work with Systems Collapse that I had heard online, his inability to follow through with the interview he had agreed to do for FNM Blog because it would have given away Sol Invictus which was a secret at the time. Then backstage I only exchanged a few words with Puffy (he was exhausted), but Patton and I talked for about... } – Jun 17, 1:22 PM